Willow Creek Ambulance Service Hangs in the Balance

Budget Concerns Once Again Threaten Rural Ambulance

The Willow Creek ambulance is provided by the Hoopa Valley Tribe’s K’ima:w Medical Center (KMC). The ambulance service is headquartered in Hoopa but spans out as far as Somes Bar and Pecwan, Burnt Ranch and Berry Summit. Recent budget cutbacks have forced KMC to look for alternatives to closing the doors. / Photo by Vonice Nelson, Two Rivers Tribune.

By Allie Hostler, Two Rivers Tribune

Living in the sticks has its perks. Ambulance service is not one of them.

From Willow Creek, the nearest hospital is a 39 mile drive one-way on an unpredictable road laden with ice during the winter season and road construction during the summer months.

Ambulatory response times are critical to saving lives in the rural reaches of Humboldt County. Kim Willis, a Eureka resident, was staying at a friend’s place in Willow Creek last summer when she had a sudden heart attack. She was alone, but managed to place a call to a neighbor. Her neighbor called the ambulance. Willis says the call saved her life.

Although most understand the importance of the service, it hangs in the balance because of money.

The Willow Creek ambulance service is provided by the Hoopa Tribe’s K’ima:w Medical Center (KMC). At all times there is at least one ambulance ready in Hoopa and one in Willow Creek. The service area is centered in Hoopa, but spans as far north as Somes Bar and Pecwan, and as far south as Burnt Ranch and Berry Summit.

The medical center’s CEO, Mihail Soare said the service is expensive to operate costing approximately $750,000-$800,000 per year and that the Hoopa Tribe suffers a net loss of more than $500,000 annually.

“The fundamental problem is Indian Health Service (IHS) doesn’t fund ambulance service,” Soare said. He explained that reimbursements from various insurance sources are shrinking and that a rural service, such as the KMC ambulance, does not receive the same amount of calls as the more populated areas, such as Eureka or Arcata. “Even if we have a call a day, the reimbursement doesn’t pay for the service. But you can’t put a price on a human life,” he said.

According to a document prepared by KMC, an ambulance run to Mad River Hospital is billed at $1,945, but Medi-cal reimbursements average about $300. If a patient has Medicare, the reimbursement averages about $773. Other insurance company reimbursements vary and there is a large portion, nearly 30 percent of patients, who have no insurance coverage at all.

KMC and the Hoopa Valley Tribe are working to rally outlying communities for support.

Willow Creek Community Service District Manager, Steve Paine said he’s aware of the problem and that the district is willing to discuss options with the tribe. One of the options being considered by the tribe is to close the Willow Creek base and serve only the Hoopa area.

“It’s possible that we would have to commit our efforts to just Hoopa,” Hoopa Tribal Chairman, Leonard Masten, Jr. said. “It’s terrible. There’s a big need. If they have to wait for somebody from Mad River to respond, it could be too late.”

If KMC’s Willow Creek service was cut, an ambulance from Mad River Hospital would respond to the area, doubling the time it takes to get a critically ill patient to a hospital. And, according to Soare, the level of service would be lower.  He said KMC ambulance provides Advanced Life Support (ALS) service, which means there is at least one paramedic on board each ambulance. Not all services provide ALS, Some are staffed only with Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT), like Mad River. EMTs can administer oxygen, bandages, and basic support. KMC’s paramedics are trained in advanced cardiac life support, pediatric advanced life support, pre-hospital trauma life support, and over the bank rescue.

Paine at the WCCSD is coordinating a meeting with Mad River’s service and the Willow Creek Volunteer Fire Department to discuss possible options.

“We have a lot of people here who are becoming older. Of course access to healthcare becomes more important as we age. Everybody wants the best medical care, the closest they can have it,” Paine said. “The more time it takes for an ambulance to get here, the risk of death multiplies very quickly.”

The Hoopa Tribe approved funding for the service through September of 2012. They are currently planning meetings with various area tribes and communities to rally support for the service.
“How many lives does the service save?,” Soare asked. “One life is enough to justify the money.”

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